Bandar Shahpour

Bandar Shahpour was a cargo ship that was completed in 1927 and acquired this name at the request of the Shah of Persia at the time of the opening
of the new port of the same name in 1929. She had a distinguished war service, survived a collision which sunk the other ship involved, and was sunk by torpedo in
1943 giving her a service life of 16 years.

When the Shah of Persia performed the opening ceremony of the new port of Bandar Shahpour, he asked Strick to change the name of the ship to
Bandar Shahpour. He agreed and the name was changed in 1929.

I have not found any information about the service history of Bandar Shahpour prior to the beginning of WW2.

Bandar Shahpour was seriously damaged on 25 September 1936 when she ran aground and was stranded at the South West Rock at The Longships in dense fog.
A formal investigation was held at a court hearing and a report was issued in accordance with the Merchant Shipping Act of 1894. The Master Sidney Robert Edwards was held
responsible and his Master's Certificate was suspended for a period of 12 months from 12 December 1936. The report can be found at
External Ref. #39.

Bandar Shahpour took part in 31 convoys and a very large number of independent voyages during the war years according to information shown
in the table below which is provided courtesy of Convoyweb - see External Ref. #4.

The Warsailors website - External Ref. #6 has the following account of a tragic collision between Bandar Shahpour and Kirsfjord in 1941.

Korsfjord had loaded 916 tons of herring meal at Hestery and Djupavik, Iceland in Jan. 1941, then proceeded to Reykjavik for sailing orders
and route instructions. She departed Reykjavik for Hull via Kirkwall in the morning of Jan. 19 (she had been ordered by the British Navy Control to pass about 8 miles north of
Butt of Lewis).

On Jan. 21, she collided with the British D/S Bandar Shahpour, 200 n. miles northwest of Butt of Lewis, 60 40N 12 09W.
Bandar Shahpour had minor damage, whereas Korsfjord sank, with the loss of 2 men. The survivors were picked up by
Bandar Shahpour and landed in Stornoway on Jan. 25 (having experienced bad weather which slowed the voyage).

What follows is an extract from Captain L. Akse's report on this incident (times are BST):

"We experienced bad weather during the 20th and 21st January, but on the evening of the 21st the wind moderated to a strong breeze from N.E. with a heavy sea
and occasional squalls of snow and sleet from the same direction. There was little or no tide, but such as there was would be following the course of the wind, i.e. setting
in a south westerly direction. It was the Chief Officer's watch from 7 p.m. on the 21st January to midnight, but I was also on the bridge from 7.15 p.m. until about 11.15 p.m.
An ordinary seaman was keeping a lookout from the bridge and from 11 p.m. the Carpenter was at the wheel which was steem steering in a wheelhouse.

At 10.15 p.m. I set a course of S 65 E true which would be S 45# magnetic and S 48 E by the steering compass and continued on with engines working at
full speed, but only making good owing to the heavy sea about 5 knots. About 11.10 p.m. whilst I was still on the bridge we experienced a heavy squall of snow and sleet
which passed in about 5 minutes when as the weather was now absolutely clear ahead with a visibility for objects without lights of between one and two miles, I went below
into my cabin which is immediately under the bridge to get some coffee, leaving orders with the Chief Officer to be sure and call me in the event of anything being
sighted.

When I had been in my cabin about 5 minutes the Chief Officer called to me through the cabin door that he had observed two large vessels on the
starboard bow, whereupon I ordered him to switch on our side lights which were dimmed to a visibility of about a mile by perforated shades placed over the bulbs as
advised by the Navy Control and then ran up on to the bridge. On arriving on the bridge I saw the vessels which the Chief Officer had reported to me without lights, the
leading now bearing three to four points on the starboard bow and distant about a mile and the other a little astern of her and bearing about three points on the starboard
bow. Shortly afterward I made out the loom of a third vessel following the other two, all three apparently being on an opposite course to my ship and on crossing the bridge
from starboard to port I made out another vessel without lights about a beam on our port side, and distant, I estimate, about half a mile. I then realized that my vessel
was in between two columns of a convoy outward bound, but the vessels mentioned were in a position to pass all clear and in fact did so. We were still on our course of
S 65 E true with engines working at full ahead, making about 5 knots.

About a minute after seeing the vessel on our port beam and whilst still maintaining our course and speed the lookout man reported, and at the same time
I made out the loom of another vessel without lights bearing between two and three points on our port bow and distant between one and two miles. I then ordered our forward
masthead light which was not dimmed to be switched on which was done by the Chief Officer. I carefully watched this vessel, and in two or three minutes when she was distant
about half a mile, or a little more, as she had not broadened on our bow I concluded that she must be on our course which would cut ours from port to starboard, whereupon
bearing in mind that she would be seeing our red lights as well as our masthead light I sounded one short blast on our whistle and ordered the man at the wheel to give
hard a starboard wheel. To this signal the other vessel replied with two short blasts, whereupon I sounded the danger signal indicated by a series of short blasts, five or
more. I did not, however, reverse my engines, expecting that the other vessel would now alter course to starboard and pass us port side to port side as she could and should
have done. She, however, continued on swinging with her head to port, and in a short time with her stem struck my vessel a heavy blow on the port side in the way of
No. 1 hatch at about a right angle cutting into her nearly up to the hatch coaming.

At the time of the collision my vessel was still making about 5 knots, and the other vessel appeared to be going at full speed making about 8 or 9 knots. I
estimate that when the collision occurred my vessel, which owing to the heavy sea running had been sluggish on her helm, had altered under her hard a starboard wheel about
2 points. As a result of the collision our head was forced round to starboard and the vessels got more or less parallel to one another. Immediately the collision occurred
I stopped the engines of my vessel and fearing she would sink ordered all hands on deck."

Korsfjord was sinking quickly by the head so the captain ordered the crew to lower the starboard and port boats. The port boat was struck
by a heavy sea and filled with water, but remained afloat with its occupants still in it. However, 2 men had lost their lives. Korsfjord went down about half
an hour after the collision, which had occurred at around 11:30 BST.

As mentioned the survivors were picked up by Bandar Shahpour and Korsfjord's captain says:

"Whilst on board the Bandar Shahpour the Captain of that vessel told me that some little time before the collision, whilst the 3rd Officer
was in charge on the bridge, one of the Escorting vessels of the convoy had shown green Very lights which he had not understood. In my experience, however, gained from convoys
I had been in, this was a signal for an emergency turn of 40 degrees to starboard, and this I told the Captain. It follows therefore, that if the
Bandar Shahpour had altered 40 degrees to starboard she would have passed my vessel all clear port to port on about an opposite course as in fact did
another vessel on our port side. No lights were exhibited by the Bandar Shahpour from first to last, and the only whistle signal given by her was two
short blasts."

At 22.56 hours on 30 Apr, 1943, U-515 fired two stern torpedoes at the convoy TS-37 about 130 miles southwest of Freetown and observed
hits after 58 and 59 seconds. The first ship was seen sinking fast and another broke in two after being hit under the bridge. At 22.57 hours, one torpedo was fired, which
struck a freighter amidships after 52 seconds. A fourth torpedo fired one minute later struck another freighter amidships, which exploded. At 22.59 hours, a fifth torpedo
was fired and struck after 1 minute a ship, which immediately sank. A sixth torpedo fired at 23.01 hours hit a freighter after 1 minute 30 seconds, but the sinking could
not be observed. Henke claimed five ships of 31.000 grt sunk and another of 6000 grt probably sunk. However, only four ships were hit and sunk, the
Corabella, Bandar Shahpour, Kota Tjandi and Nagina.

One passenger from the Bandar Shahpour (Master Wilfred Allinson Chappell) was lost. The master, 61 crew members, eight gunners and seven
passengers were picked up by HMS Birdlip (T 218) (Lt. E.N. Groom, RNR) and landed at Freetown the next day.

A personal account of the loss of Bandar Shahpour by Andy Anderson can be found in the Recollections section of the Benjidog website
HERE.